Readers' comments

Third Industrial Revolution? Yeah, right. I read about that in the Triple Revolution Document over thirty years ago. Cybernation was going to cut work hours to twenty a week. Instead, we're working more hours for less.

The problem is, technology is in the twenty-first century, but our economic distribution systems are still in the eighteenth. They don't seem to realize we need a Fractal distribution for the most dynamism - not all the same as in communism, but not all at the top, as in cutthroat capitalism. In between - the golden mean. Until we figure that out all the science in the world won't get the middle class out of the mire.

Developed countries won't need cheap laborers from the Third World as much. But the Third World will be able to leapfrog manufacturing techniques and print a lot of their stuff locally, from raw (even recycled) plastics, etc... like all previous technological leaps, it will take time and will not wipe out humanity, just rearrange it a little... but that means power shifts too!

Third industrial revolution? I thought I had heard from it in the 80s, with the beginning of incorporation of microelectronics, semiconductors, computers and robots on manufacturing. Then again in the 90s, with internet and networks.

I mean, 3D printing is very useful, no doubt. But I think we need greater conceptual rigor to not keep repeating the same thing all over again.

Wow, this is the first time I heard about this type of manufacturing but it sound like a lot of us in the less developed world will have to find other ways of being productive as additive manufacturing can very well erase the need for cheap labor. What else could we be of use???

But, on the other hand it could work for the best, freeing humans from the tedious and long labor of production and allowing us to engage in more mentally engaging activities which might lead to emancipation and end of conflict, hunger and all the evils?

Hopefully this technology will also not lead to synthetic food for the third world though. I love natural chicken-meant!

Not a copy machine... when capital is expensive and you need a lot of it (big factories) you copy (go for the proven stuff). When it's cheap and personal, you can innovate. Today you see a lot of jewelry, artsy stuff, decorations being made and printed at Shapeways. That's the kind of thing anyone anywhere can do. Any artist anywhere will be able to print creations on a low scale. The proven ones can go large-scale later on. So not much seed capital needed, just try and try again until you get it...

That was the hype, but think of this way, if you are actually doing what you like, then it is not a burden. Technology is making this more and more possible by allowing beginners to produce usable artifacts. The key is finding what you enjoy doing in life, and if leisure is all you can enjoy ... well, I really would not like to be insulting.

may be you are right,but the people in the Third world will jump to the peak of technology some day although there are still many problem in these country.don"t regard the developing country as a copy machine

The comments here reflect the lack of imagination rife in the world. I own a hobbyist model of one of these things and can see tons of possibility in it. Older customers to my shop look at it and say "so what?" or "I don't get it" but when kids come in it's all, "cool, can I come and play with it" or "I've got some stuff I want to make"

A machine like this combined with a 3D scanner can re-create lots of things that no longer are made saving a ton of money on replacement.

New ideas are easy to try. Art with it is fun. And it is way cheaper to operate than any other shop tool I've ever owned, it literally costs pennies to produce an object.

I'm having fun with it. The drawing software is a bit of a learning curve however.

But do you know many developed countries start much earlier than
developing countries ,I know what you mean and I have realized the problem we confront now.We can only rely on the cheap labour to make some product that cost little,but it"s the only way to promote the development of our economy before we explore new technology or new operate model for company.I believe chinese will wake up from the dream and develope into a great country like US,UK and Japan.....